Halloween Déjà vu
by EDC83
Summary: One shot tag to S3E5: Dia de Muertos Sicarios Family. An extended look at just how far Mac is willing to go to avoid losing another parent on Halloween. Plus a special bonus scene from a past Halloween. Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated!


**Halloween Déjà vu**

'Not today. I can't lose him today.' That thought continually played on loop since Mac had received his father's call about capturing Gomez. Jack knew Mac was on edge and worried for his father, but he didn't know Mac's mom had passed on Halloween. Maybe if he had, he'd have keep a closer eye on the kid. The anxiety Mac had been feeling didn't lessen when they found his father in such bad shape. Even after Maribel Vargas treated James, Mac's tension remained high.

Mac knew his ribs were bruised maybe even cracked from that rough 50 foot descent off the building to escape the cartel. Likewise he knew there wouldn't be much time to get clear after setting off the grenade to collapse the tunnel. Most of all though he knew they were out manned, out gunned, and he had to collapse the tunnel because he couldn't lose his father, not on Halloween. The blast propelled him into the wall breaking his ribs and knocking the wind out of him, but Mac felt it was a small price to pay to keep his father safe.

Even making it to Jack and Exfil, didn't manage to alleviate the tightness in Mac's stomach. He supposed only time would do that, midnight to be exact. Mac checked his phone, 19:49, just a little more than four hours to go. Mac stomach knotted at the gun shot that killed Gomez. Jack still had work to do to get the plane operational and Mac couldn't risk his father exerting himself. That left Mac and Office Cardoza to bury Gomez. Each shovel of dirt sent a wave of pain through Mac's gut; that's when he realized his was bleeding internally.

'Damn, the broken ribs must have nicked something.' Mac thought to himself but kept digging.

A little over two hours of non-stop sweat later, Cardoza and Mac had a 4'x2' hole dug.

"Hey man, I think that's good enough. Certainly better than he deserves. Besides, Air Dalton is ready for take off." Jack announced having examined their work and offering a hand up.

"Your friend is right." Cardoza agreed accepting Jack's help out of the hole.

"I suppose it is deep enough to keep scavengers away." Mac conceded grunting at the tearing pain of being pulled up caused him.

They rolled the body of Gomez into the grave and Cardoza nodded toward the plane, "You all should go. I can finish covering the filth."

"Come on Man, let's roll." Jack encouraged as he led Mac toward the plane.

The plane only had a pilot and co-pilot seat. The bench seat that used to sit behind them had been removed to store fertilizer and insecticide atop the drop hatch when the plane had been modified for farming. Mac climbed in and stretched his legs across the hatch resting his back against the pilot's side of the plane so he could keep an eye on his dad.

"Alright bud, hang on to something. It's not going to be very comfortable back there." Jack declared starting up the plane.

"I'll be fine. Just don't release the drop hatch!" Mac yelled over the roar of the plane.

"As long as you behave back there!" Jack jested.

Uncomfortable was an understatement as the hatch doors bounced and jostled causing Mac motion sickness. The building blood pooling in his stomach wasn't helping the nausea either. It was a quick 30 minute trip over the border to where the Phoenix jet was waiting. Mac couldn't suppress the anguished outburst that escape as the jarring during landing sent a wave of pain through Mac's midsection. The noise from the landing gears and engine had muffled it, but Jack still heard it.

"You okay back there, Mac?" Jack inquired.

"Yeah, just a bit of a rough landing." Mac confirmed through gritted teeth.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad." Jack defended.

"I wasn't saying… I think I just felt it more sitting on the floor and all." Mac clarified.

"Oh yeah, you're probably right. Good thing we're about to upgrade." Jack responded hopping out of the plane.

Jim climbed out of the plane, followed by Mac. As soon as Mac was upright though, his nausea got the better of him. He ran to side of the airstrip, dropped to his knees, and began to vomit.

"Still get motion sickness, I see." Jim stated watching his son, unsure whether or not to approach.

Jack walked ahead to retrieve a bottle of water from the jet and a nurse came and guided Jim aboard, so no one saw the blood Mac had brought up. Mac was already up and heading toward the plane with Jack met him with the water.

"Thanks, man." Mac said taking the water.

"Yeah, no problem. You sure you're okay?" Jack asked eyeing Mac as best he could in the shadow of the plane.

Having swashed around and spit out the water to rinse his mouth, Mac replied, "All good. Guess bouncing around on that hatch for half an hour just got the better of me."

"Yeah, alright. Well Matty in her infinite wisdom sent the medical jet so we can get you checked out." Jack suggested.

"No, I want them to take care of my dad. I'm fine, but I'll get checked out back at Phoenix if it'll make you feel better." Mac promised.

"Fine. But you're taking a cot on the plane and if you get to feeling sick again, the deal's off." Jack negotiated.

"Fine." Mac agreed.

The Phoenix medical jet contained three seats across from a patient cot in the front of the cabin and two more patient cots across from each other in the back of the cabin. The doctor and nurse had set Jim up in the front cot.

"How is he?" Mac asked the nurse.

"Stable and resting comfortably. We're infusing a unit of blood and have given him something for the pain." The nurse responded.

"Sorry but one of you boys are going to have to take a cot." The doctor advised.

"Oh, we've already worked that out. Up you go, Mac." Jack smiled.

"Whatever." Mac huffed laying on the cot as Jack fastened the restraints around him.

"Hey if you want to renegotiate…" Jack began, still wanting Mac checked over by medical.

"…It's fine, Jack. You should probably take your seat."Mac dismissed.

As soon as the plane was in the air, Mac unfastened his restraints and rolled onto his left side, away from the aisle, to help with the nausea that was already building again. Mac felt cold and sleepy and quickly drifted off. Jack noticed Mac shivering a little and got up to check on his friend. Mac didn't feel feverish and seemed to be sleeping peacefully so Jack covered him with a blanket and took a seat on the adjacent cot to watch over Mac. Mac awoke a little over an hour later when they hit a small patch of turbulence.

Mac rolled onto his other side to meet Jack's watchful eyes, "Hey. How's my dad?"

"Still stable and sleeping. They must have given him the good pain meds." Jack confirmed.

"What time is it?" Mac asked sleepily.

"12:07. We should be home in about an hour." Jack answered.

"Jack?" Mac called feeling as though someone was sitting on his stomach.

"Yeah bud?" Jack asked.

"Get the doctor." Mac requested weakly, sending knots through Jack's stomach.

"Sure thing, be right back." Jack said, voice full of concern.

Moments later Jack returned with the doctor, "You'd asked to see me?"

"Stomach hurts, bad." Mac confessed.

"Give me a number." The doctor requested.

"Ten." Mac stated and immediately paled, gulping in breathes, overcome with nausea.

The doctor quickly recognized the signs and provided Mac an emesis bag as he brought up about a liter of blood.

"That's blood! Why is throwing up blood?" Jack asked wavering between shock and panic.

"That's an indication of internal bleeding. MacGyver, is this the first time you've brought up blood?" The doctor inquired.

"I was sick right before we boarded. It was dark, but I think it was blood that time too, in retrospect." Mac fibbed for Jack's benefit, he had no doubt is was blood the first time.

The doctor had motioned the nurse over and they began taking his vitals as the doctor continued his questioning, "Can you think of an injury that may have caused this?"

"Broken ribs, caught in an explosion." Mac advised trembling before succumbing to shock and falling unconscious.

"His BP is low, pulse weak, and heart beat erratic. Definite shock." The nurse confirmed.

"His abdomen is distended too. Start an IV with fluids, IX solution, vitamin K, plasma, platelets, and a unit of O neg. We need to get him stabilized," The doctor ordered as he pulled out his phone, "It's Dr. Fowler with Mede-vac 2. I'm going to need a CT and OR on standby for a severe internal bleeding case. We are attempting to stabilize the patient now. ETA 45 minutes"

Jack stood frozen in the aisle watching the nurse and doctor work. He was kicking himself for not getting Mac checked out immediately. Even before the vomiting, Mac had been guarded when they'd arrived at the landing strip outside of Leon with Gomez. Jack's thoughts were interrupted when the nurse started guiding him toward the seats at the front of the plane. Jack sat obediently, but never took his eyes off Mac who laid too still. Matty saw the Mede-vac alert come in, but assumed Jim was the referenced patient. Matty's heart went out to Mac and she hoped that he would not lose his dad so close to Halloween since she knew that's when his mother had passed. She made her way to medical to be there for her agent in anyway she could. When the emergency doors finally opened and a medical team wheeled a stretcher with a ghostly pale, clammy, and unconscious blonde agent past her toward CT, Matty was rendered momentarily speechless. Another medical team arrived with Jim on a stretcher, but that one was diverted to the trauma bay per standard protocol.

It wasn't until Jack wondered in like a lost puppy that Matty found her voice and gently asked, "What happened?"

"Mac apparently broke some ribs on the op and one of 'em punctured something cuz they say he's bleeding internally. When he woke up and asked me to get the doc, Matty, I just knew something was bad wrong. Then he threw up a bunch of blood and passed out." Jack relayed hauntingly.

"Alright, let's sit down before you pass out." Matty soothed as she guided him to the waiting area.

A little while later a doctor came out and advised them that Angus MacGyver was in emergency surgery to repair the damage caused by his broken ribs. After a half hour, another doctor advised that James MacGyver's CT had come back clean and that he'd been settled in a room for observation but the pain meds would probably keep him out for the night. Leaving Matty and Jack alone with their thoughts.

"I just don't understand why Mac didn't say something about being injured sooner. I thought we were past this shit." Jack finally broke the silence.

"You know, I'd be the first one to ream his ass for hiding an injury, but I don't think that was his intent here. I suspect he was overly focused on making sure Jim was alright. They're just beginning to rebuild a relationship and it would have been devastating to lose another parent on Halloween."

"Another?" Jack asked confused.

"Oh, I thought you knew. Mac's mother passed on Halloween." Matty informed.

"No, he never told me that. If I'd known, I'd never have suggested a movie marathon on nonstop death and destruction earlier today." Jack confessed regretfully, the anger leaving him.

"Don't beat yourself up. Besides I think the holiday festivities help distract him." Matty soothed.

"It can't be easy though. Losing his mom on Halloween, I mean reminders of death are everywhere you look." Jack mused.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's not," Matty agreed before continuing, "I should probably call Bozer and Riley. They'll want to know what's going on."

Bozer and Leanna came rushing into the waiting area not even 40 minutes later. Riley arrived about ten minutes later with five coffees. She took up residence in the chair on the other side of Jack. Jack put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him. Leanna and Bozer sat in a similar position across from them. The doctor came in 20 minutes later.

"We managed to stop the bleeding and repair the torn vessels and artery. The blood loss was significant so it'll be a slow recovery; he'll be extremely weak for quite a while. He's stable, but we've moved him to ICU as a precaution given his propensity to overdo it. You can visit him in pairs of two, but he'll probably be out until tomorrow afternoon sometime." Dr. Mallory advised, familiar with this particular Phoenix team.

"Thanks Doc." Matty replied.

The team switched off throughout the night between staying with Mac and staying with Oversight. Each hoping not to be the one that has to break the news to Oversight when he wakes up. Matty was alone with Oversight when he awoke the next morning, Bozer and Leanna had gone out to pick up breakfast while Jack and Riley were with Mac.

"Hey." Jim replied.

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?" Matty asked.

"Not bad. Did they say when I can go home?" Jim inquired.

"Like father, like son." Matty chuckled softly.

"Speaking of Angus, I was kind of hoping he'd be here when I woke up. I've no right to expect that and he certainly doesn't owe it to me, but a man can dream. Is he on another assignment?" Jim asked.

"No. He's here, just in the ICU. It seems your boy broke some ribs and had some major internal bleeding going on. He came through surgery just fine, and the doctors expect him to recover fully in time." Matty concisely advised, letting Jim absorb the information.

"Like father, like son you said. Is he already asking to go home too?" Jim finally responded.

"He's not awake yet, but from past experience I'm sure that'll be the first thing he asks." Matty smiled.

Later that afternoon, Jack startled awake from where he'd been dozing in a chair. He looked around searching for what woke him when he heard the soft moan.

"Hey Mac. You back with us? How are you feeling?" Jack whispered.

A few minutes passed and Jack concluded Mac was still out of it when Mac replied hoarsely, "Not great. I'm sure I'd feel better if I was home though."

"Nice try bud, but I think you're going to be a guest of Phoenix medical for awhile. You scared the crap out of me man when you started spewing blood all Exorcist style." Jack confessed.

"I doubt it was that dramatic. I just… How's my dad?" Mac asked suddenly remembering why he delayed treatment.

"I'm fine, Angus," Jim replied as Angus turned his head to see his dad sitting on the other side of the bed having been released earlier in the day, "You know, I was thinking how excruciatingly painful digging that grave would have been with broken ribs and internally bleeding. You must have known something was wrong. Why not say something?"

When Mac didn't respond, Jack ventured a guess, "Because the physical pain paled in comparison to the anguish of digging a grave on the anniversary of your mother's death while worrying you would lose your father on the same date?"

Mac stared at Jack in disbelief for a moment before agreeing, "Yeah, something like that."

"I'm sorry Angus. I didn't stop to consider the emotional toll of the task. But for the record, it wouldn't be any easier for me to lose you on Halloween." Jim inserted.

"I didn't think about that. I was just so focused on making sure you were alright." Mac admitted.

"Well while we're all confessing, losing you would destroy me Mac. You're my partner and best friend. I can't imagine a world without you man. So how about we go back to no secrets, especially when it comes to injuries?" Jack added.

"That goes for you too?" Mac verified.

"Yeah, fine." Jack agreed.

"Deal. Jack, I'm really sorry. On some level, I knew what was wrong and how bad it could get, but I guess I wasn't thinking clearly." Mac apologized.

"No shit, but I forgive you man. Just don't do it to me again or you're liable to put me in…" Jack trailed off realizing the insensitivity of the comment he was about to make.

_In that instant, Jack was transported back in time seven years to his first Halloween with the kid. The guys at base camp had a sort of Halloween party going in the mess hall, although the treats were of the liquid variety. Like most of the other guys, Jack had a good buzz going. The guys had wrapped themselves in toilet paper and were doing impressions of each other's mummies. Mac had been moody and withdrawn all day so when he walked into the gathering Jack decided to try and break up some of that tension._

_Raising his voice to draw the attention of the room, Jack announced, "And this is MacGyver's Mummy," then launched into the impersonation with his best falsetto, "Angus, you're too smart for your own good. Angus, put that down. How many times do I have to tell you not to play with fire Angus. Really Angus, you're liable to put me in an early grave!"_

_Jack punctuated his routine with a dead drop and the guys were rolling with laughter. Jack's eyes landed on Mac, who didn't appear the least bit amused._

_Jack picked himself up off the floor before responding, "Oh come on Mac, that was funny. Don't be such a stiff!"_

_On the word 'stiff,' Jack put out his arms and started a zombie walk toward the kid. The other guys were cracking up, but Mac's eyes flashed with anger. Mac turned and stormed out of the mess hall. Jack momentarily considered following him, but one of his drunken buddies arrived, slung an arm around Jack, and handed him another beer._

_"Let him go. Kid's not old enough to drink no way!" The drunken soldier proclaimed._

_Jack had accepted that beer, but switched to coffee afterward. His bomb nerd was hard enough to keep up with, Jack couldn't imagine trying to do so hungover. He made his way back to his bunk a couple hours later to find someone had ransacked his trunk. Jack did a quick once over and realized the only thing missing was the bottle of Jack Daniels that his pop had sent him. _

_"Damn vandal, you better hope I never find out who you are!" Jack ground out._

_"Or what? You'll put me in an early grave? Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!" Mac mocked laughter as he jumped down from the top bunk and stumbled around with the nearly empty bottle of whiskey in hand._

_"What happened to Rule Number 1, never ever touch Jack's stuff!?" Jack growled pulling Mac up by his shirt. _

_Mac pushed off and downed the rest of the bottle, tossing it at Jack's feet, and slurred, "Same thing as happened to Rule Number 2, Jackass."_

_Mac tilted wildly on his feet as he staggered around the empty bunkhouse. His breathing was halted and his skin had a bluish tint._

_"Mac, did you drink that entire bottle?" Jack asked suddenly concerned._

_"What if I did? What you gonna do about it, huh? It's only fair, you know. You took shots at my mom, I took shots from your dad." Mac spat out angrily, loosing his footing and landing with a thump on the floor before loosing his stomach contents inside Jack's footlocker._

_Jack grimaced, "Aww gross dude! You're going to owe me some laundry later, but right now I think we should get you to medical. You'll have a hell of a headache in the morning." _

_ "I'm fine, Jack. Just because my mom's dead doesn't mean I need your mothering. Just let me sleep it off!" Mac whined as Jack dragged him to his feet._

_Any anger Jack still held quickly dissipated at the drunken revelation, "Sorry bud, one too many beers you can sleep off. An entire bottle of whiskey is a different story." _

_"Just leave me alone." Mac begged as Jack ducked under his arm and guided him toward medical._

"Jack, everything okay?" Mac asked snapping his fingers to try and draw Jack out of the flashback.

"Oh god Mac, I'm so sorry!" Jack replied horrified of the the joke he'd made seven years earlier and the comment he'd nearly made moments ago.

Realizing where Jack had been, Mac replied, "It's okay, Jack. All is forgiven. Actually, I should thank you for getting me medical help, you saved my life."

Mac and Jack shared a look of understanding, knowing the exchanged referred both to last night and seven years ago.

Jack smiled and winked, "No thanks necessary man. I'm your Overwatch. It's what I do."


End file.
